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Updated: May 2, 2026

Detection of Modified Forms of Cytosine Using Sensitive Immunohistochemistry
Published on: August 16, 2016
Detection of single methylated cytosine using junction-forming DNA probes
1Graduate School of Bionics, Computer and Media Sciences, Tokyo University of Technology, 1404-1 Katakura, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-0982, Japan. kato@stf.teu.ac.jp.
Abstract:
DNA methylation is an epigenetic mechanism for transcriptional regulation. The methylation process controls cellular differentiation and is defective in many diseases including cancer. Therefore, the development of a simple method for analysing cytosine methylation in a target gene is required. Here we report a conceptually new method for sequence-selective chemical modification of a single cytosine in single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) using two DNA probes to form a DNA three-way junction with the ssDNA. The method was successfully used in a simple quantitative polymerase-chain-reaction-based assay for discrimination of a single methylated cytosine.
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